Academic Journal
Paternal reproductive health in focus: new World Health Organization infertility guideline interpreted through a biological and clinical lens.
| Τίτλος: | Paternal reproductive health in focus: new World Health Organization infertility guideline interpreted through a biological and clinical lens. |
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| Συγγραφείς: | Esteves SC; ANDROFERT, Andrology and Human Reproduction Clinic, Campinas, Brazil.; Department of Surgery (Division of Urology), University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, Brazil.; Faculty of Health, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.. Electronic address: s.esteves@androfert.com.br., Pacey A; School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK., De Jonge CJ; Department of Urology, University of Minnesota Medical Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA. |
| Πηγή: | Reproductive biomedicine online [Reprod Biomed Online] 2026 Jun; Vol. 52 (6), pp. 105658. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Feb 23. |
| Τύπος έκδοσης: | Journal Article |
| Γλώσσα: | English |
| Στοιχεία περιοδικού: | Publisher: Elsevier Country of Publication: Netherlands NLM ID: 101122473 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1472-6491 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 14726483 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Reprod Biomed Online Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Publication: <2009->: Amsterdam : Elsevier Original Publication: Cambridge, UK : Reproductive Healthcare Ltd. |
| Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): | Infertility, Male*/diagnosis , Infertility, Male*/therapy , Infertility, Male*/prevention & control , Reproductive Health*/standards , Practice Guidelines as Topic*, Humans ; Male ; World Health Organization ; Female ; Semen Analysis ; Pregnancy |
| Περίληψη: | The 2025 World Health Organization (WHO) Guideline for the Prevention, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Infertility represents the first comprehensive global framework integrating male and female contributors to infertility within a unified public health strategy. This commentary examines the male-relevant components of the guideline from the perspective of reproductive biology and translational andrology. The WHO guideline mandates a parallel evaluation of both partners and structures male assessment around the medical history, a focused physical examination and semen analysis as a triage tool. While pragmatic and globally applicable, semen analysis remains a descriptive rather than a mechanistic test, underscoring the need for a deeper investigation into sperm chromatin integrity, epigenetics and molecular function. The guideline's conservative treatment recommendations - limited to clinical varicocele repair and antioxidant therapy - reflect Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome prioritization, the GRADE methodology and an emphasis on pregnancy and live-birth outcomes, as well as considerations of equity and feasibility across diverse health systems. By embedding male reproductive health within a global infertility approach, the guideline promotes structured evaluation, early specialist referral and reproductive equity, while highlighting critical gaps in mechanistic understanding that must inform future research and clinical innovation. (Copyright © 2026 Reproductive Healthcare Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.) |
| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: Antioxidants; Guideline; Male infertility; Male reproductive health; Semen analysis; Spermatogenesis; Varicocele |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260415 Date Completed: 20260610 Latest Revision: 20260710 |
| Update Code: | 20260711 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.rbmo.2026.105658 |
| PMID: | 41985248 |
| Βάση Δεδομένων: | MEDLINE |
| ISSN: | 1472-6491 |
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| DOI: | 10.1016/j.rbmo.2026.105658 |